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Players Announce Finalists for 2017 Players Choice Awards

10-05-2017

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New York, NY, Thursday, October 5, 2017 - Major League baseball players today announced the finalists for their highest honors – the Players Choice Awards – in which the players themselves recognize excellence on and off the field. Vying for top honor as 2017 Player of the Year are José Altuve of the Houston Astros, Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins.

For the seventh consecutive year, Players Choice Award winners will be announced exclusively on MLB Network on Wednesday, November 8, from 8 PM – 9:30 PM ET. MLB Network's local channel listings are available at www.FindMLBNetwork.com.

The Players Choice Awards on MLB Network benefit the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the charitable foundation created and run by the players themselves. 2017 Players Choice Award winners in all categories will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Players Trust. [Note: The eight League winners receive $20,000 grants each and the two overall winners receive $50,000 grants each.)

Leading the voting for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, named in honor of the MLBPA's first executive director and given annually to the player who inspires others through his on-field performances and contributions to his community, are Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants, Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs and David Robertson of the New York Yankees. Posey's philanthropic focus is The Buster and Kristen Posey Fund. The fund provides grants to research hospitals and charitable organizations that support children diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Rizzo's mission this year was to use his on-field success as a springboard for the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, which he founded in 2012 to provide funding for cancer research. Robertson and his wife, Erin, created High Socks for Hope in 2011 after a tornado devastated his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., to help those affected by natural disasters as well as homeless veterans. High Socks has helped thousands of families regroup and furnish homes.

Now in its 26th year, the Players Choice Awards program has been honoring the game's best-of-the-best since 1992, when Major Leaguers selected Dennis Eckersley and Barry Bonds as the AL & NL Outstanding Players, respectively. Today, the players annually honor the outstanding player, rookie, pitcher and comeback player in each league, while the Player of the Year and Man of the Year awards bestow top honors without regard to league. Balloting for the 2017 Players Choice Awards was conducted in all Major League clubhouses on September 19, under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG.

The Players Trust raises funds and attention for issues affecting the needy and promotes community involvement, and it has recognized the outstanding on-field and off-field performances of Players Choice Awards winners by contributing more than $4 million to charities around the world. For additional information, please visit http://playerstrust.org/programs/players-choice-awards/.

Majestic Athletic is a proud sponsor of the 2017 Players Choice Awards on MLB Network.